Combined desk and wastebasket



April 28, 1953 J. H. TURNER 2,636,798

COMBINED DESK AND WASTEBASKET Filed Feb. 7, 1951 INVENTOR. JAMES H. T UR/VER ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES 'DFFICE CUMBINED'DESK AND WASTEBASKET Application'February 7, 1951, SerialNo. 209,837

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the combination of a desk :and a wastepaper basket.

In many offices, particularly in large ofiices where the desks are arranged close together in rows,'the location of the waste baskets becomes 'a real problem. If the waste baskets are placed at the ends of desks they take up valuable space and tend to block the passages between the several desks. If the waste basket is placedon the floor under the knee space of the desk, it is necessary for the desk user to look under the desk to locate the basket or else the wastepaper may be thrown on the floor.

The problem of the location of waste baskets is especially troublesome to the charwomen who must find a place off of the floor for the baskets during cleaning. The only place then readily available for these baskets is on top of the desks or in the office chairs. However the lower edges of the baskets become damaged in service and dirt collects thereon so that when these baskets are temporarily placed on any piece of furniture the surface thereof becomes marred and soiled.

The present invention has for its purpose the provision of a desk and wastebasket combination which obviates the mentioned difiiculties.

The various features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the detailed description and claims when taken with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 is a rear view of the desk and wastebasket combination of this invention;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the desk with a portion thereof broken away to illustrate the location of the wastebasket and the shelf therefor; and

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a waste basket suitable for use in the present combination.

In the drawings, there is illustrated a desk comprising a top 5 mounted on the drawer sections 6, 6 in turn supported on the pedestals l. The drawer sections which are provided with the usual shelf slides 8 and the drawers 9, are spaced apart to provide knee space H] to receive the knees. of the user. er H slidably mounted just under the top 5 and spanning the distance between the spaced drawer sections. At the rear of the desk (Fig. 2) there is provided in the space between the drawer sections a. partial back apron l2 and a shelf comprising the horizontal portion I3 and the vertical portion I4, the upper edge [5 of which terminates at a lower level than the bottom edge l6 of the apron. This shelf extends into the knee space of the desk and is adapted to receive a recf The desk may have a center draw- 2 tangular waste basket 11. This basket has such dimensions that it substantially fills the space defined by "thehorizontal portion H of the shelf .as well as the vertical portion I4 thereof and also defined by the drawer sections. With .the waste basket in its normal position, the-rear exposed side of the basket is substantially flush with the apron I2, and reaches almost to the edge It thereof. By this construction, the user of the desk can dispose of his waste paper by throwing it through the knee space from the front thereof in the direction of the apron 12 which deflects it into the basket H. In the event that the waste paper strikes the surfaces of the drawer sections, adjacent the apron, these surfaces will also deflect the paper toward the apron and in turn into the basket or else will directly deflect the paper into the basket. During the cleaning of the office, the waste basket can be removed from the shelf at the back of the desk, for emptying. When emptied, the waste basket can be immediately replaced on the shelf. Thus the waste basket need not be placed on the top of the desk or on a chair while the ofiice floor is being cleaned.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention saves valuable ofice space and yet the location of the waste basket is convenient for the user as well as for the charwoman.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a desk including two spaced drawer sections joined by a desk top to define knee space for the user, a shelf projecting into the rear of the knee space and comprising a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, said vertical portion serving as a partition extending parallel to the back of the desk across the intermediate region of the knee space, said vertical portion having its upper edge spaced a substantial distance from the under surface of said top, said shelf being accessible from the rear of the and an apron extending downward from the rear of the desk top to substantially the level of the top edge of the vertical portion but spaced therefrom and bridging the space between said drawer sections, said shelf being adapted to support a waste basket removable under said apron from the rear of the desk and substantially coextensive with the length of the shelf whereby waste paper thrown toward the apron from the front of the knee space will be deflected. into the waste basket.

5 In combination, a desk including two spaced drawer sections joined by a desk top to define knee space for the user, a shelf extending in the direction of the rear edge of the desk top between the two sections at the rear of the knee space, a fixed vertical partition mounted adjacent said shelf and extending along the shelf across the intermediate region of the knee space, said partition having its upper edge spaced a substantial distance from the under surface of said top, an apron extending downward from the rear margin of the desk top to approximately the level of the top edge of the partition and bridging the space between said drawer sections, the upper edge of the partition and the lower edge of the apron being spaced apart leaving an opening therebetween, and a wastebasket located on said shelf and substantially coextensive therewith whereby Waste paper thrown toward the apron from the front of the knee space will be deflected into the waste basket, said wastebasket having such depth that it is removable from the rear of the desk through the space between the shelf and the lower edge of the apron.v

3. In combination, a desk including two spaced drawer sections joined by a desk top to define knee space for the user, a shelf projecting into the rear of the knee space and comprising a fixed horizontal portion and a vertical portion bridging the space between said sections, said vertical portion serving as a partition extending across the intermediate region of the knee space, said vertical portion having its upper edge spaced a substantial distance from the under surface of said top, said shelf defining a recess opening toward the rear of the desk, an apron extending downward from the rear margin of the desk top with the lower edge of said apron at a level spaced a, substantial distance from said shelf and bridging the space between said drawer sections, the lower edge of the apron and the upper edge of the vertical portion being spaced apart to define an opening from said knee space to said recess, and a wastebasket located on said shelf and substantially coextensive therewith whereby waste paper thrown toward the apron from the front of the knee space will be deflected into the waste basket, a top edge of said wastebasket reaching approximately to the lower edge of the apron whereby the Waste basket can be removed from the rear of the desk.

JAMES H. TURNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,218,971 Axworthy Mar. 13, 1917 1,434,480 Clark Nov. 7, 1922 1,789,045 Jernberg Jan. 13, 1931 1,892,414 Ulrich Dec. 2'7, 1932 

